Protective net attachment for crib beds



p 2, 1952 N. 0. LE ROY 27,608,696

PROTECTIVE NET ATTACHMENT FOR CRIB BEDS Filed May 12, 1950 N RMAN C. LEROY,

ATTORNEK Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITED PATENT oFFiCE would interferewith 'thefa'cees tethe ocbiip'a ht 'Ahetherebiect of the invention resides in we? eiz't'r'eme simplicity of'the structure 'and thee, with which it can be assembled-end. attached 0 thel crib; has" relativelyf few pantsfthet arejof suchi nature that readily erm t; the ",compl'etiil c011a'psing of the fdevice for? storage: and ship ment in a) relatively small'cohtafihefot cart 0 is: strong, durable; empioysafiietjhavi'ng relatively wide meshthat offersno esistaiice" tofthe pas-f sage 'of eif thezethi ough; is-cheap to manuffaetiifer and-is highly'efiiciehttinfusef the willhe feedily eipfiaren't during the'cours e of the renewing description", reference eing" had to; ziceeiiri'paiiyihg drawings wherein has been i11us-'-- tfete'd struetules embodyihgthe" iriventibi'i and Wheie'ifi like eheraeters of reference are em? l b yd' tbdenqt'e' llike' parts throughout. In the i 1 v I Figure '1" is a; perspectiyenview of the assem device' prior; "no mbunting uponthe' side of 'Figiite z'isa transversevertical sectien th eugh meaeviee-as-moumedw thefside of the crib; M

' Figure? is a. fragmentary front elevation of oiieend of the device in; mounted positior and Figure 4 i'sa fi egmeritery pefspeetiveofthe siipperting arid: pbs'itiening meahs for" thelower i r h m QFilEu r-Eisa perspectite iew ofaniodifiedl form of r oi ntifigs ipport fer the net frame and; Figurefiisa" side elevation of the structure of Figurei5i; t u it t l iReferri'ng specifibally' to th d e'viiingsfand partic i la rly td Figures 1 to 4: inciusivej, thefmimersil #bdsi; "It is pointed outhoweverl thatthe. device or the" present intention" is adjustable: 1 as] t'd' le'r'igth a dheighttte readily adaptitsl structure arid; mq nting means to crib] sides" of varying dimensions? I "Ihe'preferi edmeans fer rigidly mounting, the net and its assoeiate'd partjslto a crib side" T; consists of ane'1e1iga ted1 tubular member' l l'g navin rmterib j ightand lefthand shew/thread? A ferthe' ma'jerportibngof its length from either r ds 12:; while the? ether" p o rtieni is: shiitfiblef The sockets are limited in their outwardly swinging movement by the abutment of the reduced end at one end of the slots [6, yet may swing inwardly to lie. substantially parallel with the tubes II, for a purpose to be described. The bosses [5 at their outer ends are welded or otherwise attached to adjustable saddles l9, one portion of the saddles being fixed to the bosses, while the other portion is shiftable laterally to accommodate it to rails of different thick-- nesses.

In mounting the supports, including the tubes ll, saddles H and I9 and sockets H, the tubes are held in the hand and the rods I2 and I3 are screwed inwardly to a position where the saddles clear the inner edges of the top and bottom rails of the side I. The operator then engages the lower saddles l9 over the lower rail, at points adjacent the ends and the saddles l9 shifted inwardly to snugly engage the sides of the rails. The upper saddles having been adjusted to the width of the upper rail, the tubes H are rotated, causing the rods l2 and 13 to be extended outwardly until the upper saddles firmly engage the upper rail. The support thus acts like a turnbuckle and rigidly positions the device within the side 1 against shifting accidently without the use of screws or other fastening devices, such as has been disclosed in my co-pending application above identified. The mounting is thus adaptable to cribs having sides of varying height and is interchangeable from one crib to another without in any way marring the finish thereof. If found desirable, the saddles may be lined with rubber or felt as an additional safeguard against marring the finish. It is contemplated that the tubes ll shall be formed'of aluminum, in which case the rods l2 and I3 will be formed of steel in order to prevent corrosion of the threads, such as would occur, if both the tubesland the rods wereformed of aluminum. However, the particular material employed forms no partof the present invention. While it is contemplated that the saddles shall be formed of metal, either cast or stamped, it follows, that they may be formed of plastic, rubber or any other desirable material.

Means are employed to support a net 20, comprising parallel end rods 2|, detachably supported within the sockets H. The rods 2| are of identical length and are connected at their upper ends by a horizontal rod 22, through the medium of tubular L-sha-ped couplings 23. The rod 22 is longitudinally extensible and is formed in two parts. connected in axial alignment by a tubular sleeve 24. The net includes end panels 25 and a side panel 26. ,The end panels 25 are provided with hems 21 at their ends for engagement over the support tubes I I, while the side panel 26 is provided with upper and lower hems 28 and 29, the upper hem 28 receiving the rod 22, while the lower hem 29 receives a rod 30. The rod 30 is formed in two sections, connected by a tubular sleeve 3|, whereby the rod may be extended in length to adapt it to crib sides of varying lengths. The sections of the rod 30 at their outer ends, are provided with axial openings 32 for the detachable reception of the ends 33 of brackets, designated as a whole by the numeral 34." The brackets are employed to properlyposition the. rod 30 and the'lower edge of the net 20 with respect to the bed springs and mattress and for maintaining the lower edge of the net against or closely adjacent the side of the crib to prevent articles passing therebetween. The brackets 34 tubes H.

4 includes the rod engaging end 33, extending from a coil 35. The opposite end of the coil extends outwardly at a right angle to the end 33, is then bent downwardly at a right angle and then bent forwardly to provide a relatively long extension 36. In use, the coil 35 is positioned over the tubes II, as clearly shown in Figure 1, with the extensions 36 extending forwardly to be subsequently positioned under the mattress 9 to me; upon the springs when the structure is mounted upon the side I of the crib.

In the use of the invention so far described, the

several parts being in disassembled relation, the operator first removes the threaded rods l2. The

bracket coils are then dropped over the tubes "H and the hems 21 likewise positioned over the The rods I2 are then replaced. The rods 22 and 30 are engaged in their respective hems 28 and 29 and the end rods 2| are connected with the rod 22 through the medium of the couplings 23 and their lower ends engaged in the sockets II. The ends 33 of the brackets 34 are then engaged in the openings 32 and the device is then readyfor mounting upon the side I of the crib. The supports, including the tubes ll are then adjusted and rigidly clamped within the side 1 as before pointed out. In this position,

the extended ends 35 of the brackets overlie the springs 8 of the bed. The mattress 9 prevents vertical shifting of the brackets 34 and maintains the same relative position of the mattress and the lower edge of the net, regardless of the vertical position of the side 1. When the operator desires to administer to the occupant of the crib,

he merely moves against the rod 22, which action causes the entire frame consisting of the rods 2| and 22 to shift inwardly in an arc, determined a by the pivotally mounted socket H, to lie against the side of the crib in substantially parallel engagement, thus offering no interference to the proper attention of the occupant. As the operator moves away from the crib, the frame automatically swings outwardly to again position the net in its angular relation to the side 1. Articles falling between the slats 'of the side 1 or articles thrown over the top 1 will roll or slide down-' wardly to the lower part of the net to lie against thesideo'f the crib and the bottom of the net as determined by the rod 30, where they can be conveniently retrieved. The device can be quickly removed and disassembled and the net removed for washing, when desired. 'The bottom edge of thenet is always maintained in engagement with the. side of the crib through the me-. diumof theextensions 36-andwhen the crib side- 1 is raised or lowered, the coils35 and hems 21- merely slide with respect to the tubes II. This permits freedom of movement of the sides 1 at all times with no interference from the net structure. The vertical bending .of the bracket 34 is to permit adequate clearance of the bracket with respect to the lower railof the-side 'whenthe bed springs are moved to their maximum lower position. The springs, as illustrated in Figure 2Iare somewhat elevated above the lower rail of the side. 1 r r Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, a modified form of mounting has been illustrated for the shiftable' support of the frame of the net. In this form of the invention, tension clamps 31 are adapted to engage over the lower side of the lower rails, while tension clamps 38 are adapted to engage over the upper edges of the upper rails.

The clamps are U-shaped and include a long tongue 39, and a relatively short tongue 40, conaeoa nected by a horizontal strip 4|. The tongues 40 are inclined inwardly and are flexible and provide a means to adapt the clamps to rails of varying width. The clamps in use are merely sprung over the rails. The long tongues are provided with bayonet shaped slots 42 and the material surrounding the slots is pressed outwardly to provide a socket for the reception of offset coiled ends of elongated, close packed coil springs 43. The clamps and the springs serve as the mounting means for the net frame and may be substituted for the tubes H and saddles I4 and I3. The lower clamp 31 is provided with a forwardly extending U-shaped bracket 44, the forward end of which is inclined. The bracket 44 pivotally supports the lower end of an end rod 45, of the net frame, through the medium of a pivot pin 46. The angularity of the end of the bracket determines the angularity of the net. In all other respects, the net construction, frame and operation is identical to that already described. The clamps 31 and 38 may be formed of any desirable material, such as metal, plastic, rubber or the like.

In the use of this form of the invention, the operator engages one end of the spring 43 with the lower clamp 31 and the clamp is engaged with the lower rail of the side. The clamp 38 is then engaged over the upper rail and the opposite end of the spring 43 is connected thereto through the medium of the bayonet slot 42. Obviously, before the spring 43 is connected to the upper clamp, the brackets 34 and hem 21 are positioned thereover. The springs 43 will be properly plated to provide a smooth surface over which the hem 21 and coil 35 will easily slide when the side 1 is lowered and raised.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that a very simple and novel construction has been provided for the mounting of a safety net attachment for crib beds. The device readily adapts itself to various sizes of beds and can be produced in various materials. The present structure for the support of the net is preferably wood and aluminum, although it is contemplated that the entire net frame shall be formed of metal tubing or other desirable material. The use of the device will result in a considerable saving from the standpoint of cost of broken bottles or the like, where the net is not employed.

It is to be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement, but that changes in the shape, size. arrangement of parts and substitution of materials may be resorted to as fall within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety net attachment for a crib which has a drop side provided with openings therein, said safety net comprising a net, a plurality of mounting means adapted to be mounted on the lower part of said drop side, a plurality of supports, each of which is secured at one end to one 6 of said mounting means, each of said supports being vertically adjustable with respect to the mounting means, each of said supports having an adjustable extension at the other end thereof, each of said extensions adapted to be connected to the upper part of said drop side, a U-shaped frame pivotally connected to at least two of said mounting means, the net of said safety net being secured at one end to one of said supports and at the other end to another of said supports, said net also being secured intermediate its ends to said U-shaped frame, a rod carried by the lower part of said net, brackets connected with the opposite ends of said rod and with the supports, the brackets being extended to underlie a mattress supported in the crib whereby the lower part of said net may be brought into releasable engagement with the lower part of the drop side.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the mounting means comprise inverted U-shaped saddles that engage over the lower part of the drop side, each of said saddles provided with an upstanding cylindrical boss that is aperturedfor the pivotal reception of the U-shaped frame, each of said cylindrical bosses having axial reduced cylindrical extensions that are screw-threaded, each of said supports being tubular and internally threaded in opposite directions from each end, the supports at their lower ends having adjustable threaded engagement with the threads of the axial extensions, the upper end of each support having threaded engagement with threaded extension rods, each of said threaded extension rods being connected with a U-shaped saddle that engages an upper part of the said drop side.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the rod carried by the lower part of said net is provided at its opposite ends with means to each receive an end of bracket devices, one bracket device being fixed at one end of the rod and another bracket device being fixed to the opposite end of the rod, each of the brackets bein bent intermediate their lengths to form a coil, the coil of one bracket embracing one of said supports, the coil of the other bracket embracing another of said supports, each of the brackets provided with an extension that underlies a mattress supported in the crib, the brackets and the rod serving to support the lower part of the net in releasable engagement with the lower part of the drop side.

NORMAN C. LEROY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 633,353 Bacon Sept. 19, 1899 1,263,212 Cox Apr. 16, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,105 Great Britain --l 1895 

